THE SCENE: CHAD GILBERT (NEW FOUND GLORY) POSTS UPDATE MESSAGE

Chad Gilbert, guitarist for pop punk outfit, New Found Glory, has released an update which gets fans up to speed on his plans for 2013.

You can check out the lengthy message below:

We made it through another year! It’s 2013! Can you believe it? I wonder how all of those end of the world conspiracy theorists are feeling right about now. Are they happy they are still alive or are they more angry about being wrong? They gotta be torn. Well, I’m glad they were wrong because there is a whole lot more I still want to do in my life.
Right now, you are probably planning your future too. Planning out and setting goals for this year. New Year’s resolutions. This year though, I am not going to create any specific goal to reach or make a big plan. In turn, I only want to put 100% into whatever it is I do. Whether it be writing music, producing, furthering the career of New Found Glory, the beginning of What’s Eating Gilbert and my label Violently Happy Records, and more importantly just being a better person. Whatever that even is.
See, saying I want to be 100% might sound like a easy cop out but let me explain. I’ve learned in my life and career that there is no finish line. There is no final hurrah. That sounds morbid maybe but I believe when you realize that you can enjoy life and all it’s twists and turns, it’s all about the journey anyway. Not about getting somewhere.
I remember New Found Glory closing a show in New Jersey on the Honda Civic Tour in 2003. There were 17,500 people there and we sold more merchandise in one night than most do on entire tours. Rewind to 4 years before that. We were playing a basement at Rutgers University in New Jersey to 20 people. The Honda Civic show could be seen as “the one”. The big hurrah. The finish line… But it wasn’t. When I woke up the next morning, I still wanted to do more and I quickly learned it wasn’t about 1 moment but about the entire journey, the struggle and the effort I put in. I get the same gratification seeing 300 people’s excited faces at a show as I do playing to 3,000 because I know what it took to get there. How does this relate?
Well, when comparing to the more typical resolutions like personal eating habits or furthering your careers or being better at anything, you’ll see its not about a final goal. Because when you reach that goal you will most likely still want more. You will find something else you want. It’s almost like setting yourself up for a let down that you are putting on your own self. Life is about experience. The good and the bad makes us stronger. So if you are trying to, for instance, lose weight. What if you don’t make some number goal of how many pounds you want to lose? Instead give 100% of yourself. That’s all you can really do. Get up and actually try. Get together with friends and do something fun and active. Don’t sit and talk about it. Make it something you can enjoy and give 100%. Knowing that you did what ever you could feels way better than reaching any goal. It’s the fight, the fun, the sacrifice that makes the memories. Not a scale and most definitely not your bank account.
I am a lucky person and I’m able to still have my passion be the way that I also make a living. This year, I will continue to acknowledge that and not take it for granted. Instead of just easing my way through life I am going to give 100% of myself. We were all supposed to die a few weeks ago! I think about all those children that were recently murdered at the elementary school in Connecticut. I think about my tour manager Josh Stern who just passed away. I think about my Dad who had terminal cancer and still got up in the hot Florida sun for 7 years and built pools. We need to enjoy and appreciate our lives for them. Stop pressuring yourselves with all the wrong things. And stop slacking. Instead get up and give all you got and enjoy the journey. The struggle is the fun part! Let’s all give 100% this year in all we do.